Article from Aussie TV Scene

Thanks to Lauren for sending this in!

Tales of a Teen Alien

Homework, controlling parents, aliens �they�re all part of life�s rich tapestry when you�re a teenager living in Roswell.

Marrying two of television�s hottest topics �
teenagers and aliens � seems such a perfect fit it�s hard to believe it didn�t happen sooner.

As the veteran of several shows about teen angst, among them Dawson�s Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jason Behr has his own theories as to why the young are on everyone�s lips.

�I think the reason is because that time of life is so important to a person�s own development and their own growth,� he said. �It can be overwhelming and it can be wonderful in a whole lot of different ways.�

�Whether you have a bad time or a great time, it stays with you for the rest of your life.� He doesn�t sound like a spotty youth, does he? That�s because this particular teenager is 26 years old.

�It was weird at first,� Behr concedes. �I�m so much older than that.�

And we all know those other shows where some of the teenagers look like 50. �At some point I�m probably going to end up looking
like that too,� Behr said.

On the face of it, there is little to set Max (Behr) and his alien friend and sister apart from the other kids. They are all equally beautiful and clear of skin. But before long it becomes apparent that the aliens can melt cheese with their bare hand and listen to CDs without the aid of a CD player. Spooky. Behr says the coolest thing Max is able to do is �manipulate molecular structures. Basically, that
means you can change the shape of stuff. The thing about Max is he has immense powers which in the wrong hands, could be dangerous.�

As anyone who�s watched too much TV can tell you, Roswell is a by-word for government cover-up. According to the popular conspiracy theory, some sort of alien craft crashed at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, and the US government has spent the time since making sure no one discovers the truth.

Roswell the TV show operates on the premise the three alien offspring survived. Possibly more. The kids are adopted and apparently no one is the wiser until one day in the local diner when a random shooting kills Liz, Max�s long-time secret crush. Max, what with his immense powers and all, is able to revive her, but he�s left with a fair bit of explaining to do.

He handles it well to Liz though: �I�m not from around here,� Max says, pointing skyward.

�Up north?� she asks, hopefully as he points higher.

Liz: �You�re not an alien, are you?� Smart girl.

�I prefer the term not of this earth,� Max say, somewhat tetchily.

�Max fell in love with Liz the first time he saw her, when they were six years old,� Behr says. �He�s never been able to let anyone into his life, never been able to get close to anyone.�

Getting the balance right between the show�s science fiction roots and its teen relationship leanings has been a back-and-forth experience, according to Behr. The show finds what he describes as a nice balance midway through the first series.

�I think we�ve found our true voice.�